Glenlea Park ram soars to $33,000

This smashed the stud’s previous on-property top price of $12,200 and was the highest priced Merino ram sold in SA so far this season.

Stud principals Peter and Marianne Wallis sold 152 of 162 April-May 2015 drop rams for a magical $2467 average at their milestone sale.

This was a lift of $437 on last year’s sale.

But it was Lot 14-GP170- a robust, heavy cutting 18.6 micron polled ram which stole the limelight.

The successful bidder of the $33,000 ram was Len Mathews, Bulgandri Poll stud, Rand, NSW, who described his buy  as a “perfect wool sheep”.

“He is a magnificent animal and so beautifully balanced- what all stud breeders are looking for,” Mr Mathews said.

“I have been to a lot of ram sales over the years and you don’t see many come up like him.”

The sale topper had two copies of the polled gene and was carrying a fleece testing 99.8 per cent comfort factor with a standard deviation of 2.4.

GP 170 was among the first sale progeny of Glenlea Park 137, and had impeccable Australian Sheep Breeding Values to match. He was in the top 10pc on MERINOSELECT for its yearling clean fleece weight and the Merino Production plus index.

Bulgandri Poll, who are a repeat Glenlea Park client, bought two other rams at $5400 and $4000.

The sale topper was also among the vendor’s 2015-drop picks with Mr Wallis impressed by the ram’s wool density, carcase and early growth traits. 

“He has a very meaty rump and width through the body. Even yesterday he still had his lamb’s teeth but he weighed 118kg just prior to Bendigo, so he has growth for age too,” Mr Wallis said

The stud has retained 300 doses of semen for in- flock use.

Two rams were knocked down at the $7200 equal-second top price as the bids continued to rain down.

Richard Harkness, Superior Wool Merinos, Tintinara was the first to pay this for Lot 17-an 18.5M, ET bred ram-which had the highest yearling clean fleece weight in the catalogue at +32.5. 

“He has magnificent fleece weight and has very gutsy, impact wool,” Mr Harkness said.

Also at $7200 was Lot 37-a 20.8M son of Moorundie Park 306 which sold to JW&LC Huf, Hamilton, Vic.

Boorana Merinos, Woorndoo, Vic bought two sons of GP367  at $7000 and $5000.

The momentum continued right to the end, with the crowd of 70 registered bidders still swarming around the final 30 paddock-run rams.

Despite the strength of the stud buying to five states it was the free flowing bidding from commercial buyers from the Mallee, SE and western Vic which ensured the superb result.

Lake Hawdon Props, Robe was the sale’s largest buyer with 24 rams for a  $2050 average.

Keilira Props, Kingston bought 10 rams for a $1305 average, and Boolapuckee Nominees, Kingston secured eight rams for a $2263 average.

Mr Wallis was thrilled with the sale and said it was their best “by a long way.”

He was particularly pleased with the intensity of bidding from the first to the final lots. 

“To have such a big crowd turn up and follow the sheep right to the end is very humbling and encourages us that we are on the right path,” Mr Wallis said.

Landmark SA stud stock manager Gordon Wood said the sale had attracted many repeat buyers but had also grown its following by turning plenty of heads with their sheep at the recent Australian Sheep & Wool Show, Bendigo and Hamilton Sheepvention, Vic.

“It is a huge result and reward for the effort put in,” he said.

Mr Wood said Glenlea Park’s rams “fitted the mould” of what breeders wanted in the modern Merino. “They are fast growing sheep that can lay down meat and muscle and produce an elite fibre as well as cut a power of wool,” he said.